Postgame Analysis: Washington

Arizona was able to defeat Washington on Wednesday night. Read on for the player of the game, key moments, and more.

The Arizona Wildcats fought hard for the victory late Wednesday night as Arizona beat Washington 70-52. Here's an analysis of what happened.

Arizona Player of the Game:

Mark Lyons: There are many other players that contributed to the victory, but none was more important than Mark Lyons. The senior scored ten straight points in the first half that sparked Arizona's offense. He was limited in the second half with foul trouble, but it was after the damage had already been done. The guard finished with fourteen points, three assists, and four rebounds.

Key Moments:

With the game falling into a lull late in the first half, the Wildcats trailed 13-9. Lyons started heating up for Arizona and scored ten straight points, capped with his second three-pointer. It fueled a stretch that gave the Wildcats their first lead of the night at 18-16 with six minutes left in the first half.

Just minutes later, as the half was winding down Kevin Parrom went up for an offensive rebound and came down with Aziz N'Diaye attached to his arm. The play turned into N'Diaye hugging Parrom, but only a jump ball was called. Immediately following the call, the Husky gave the Wildcat a small push that lead to a technical foul. Arizona used the momentum to finish the final fifty seconds with three straight points.

Four minutes into the second half Nick Johnson drained a three-pointer that was the culmination of a 12-4 run to start the period. It was part of a much bigger 19-4 run that gave Arizona a sizable lead. The Wildcats never looked back.

General Thoughts:

Arizona seemed to find its offense towards the end of the first half. As soon as Lyons got the aggression in him to attack the basket, things started flowing for the Wildcats. After his three to give Arizona the two- point lead in the first half, the Wildcats went on a 15-9 run, eventually going to the locker room up eight.

In the second half, it wasn't much different than the end of the second half and it can be said that this was the best basketball that Arizona has played all conference season. The Wildcats got out in transition, played excellent defense, and made good decisions. There is a reason that Arizona won by a large margin and it is because the team played like it should every time out on the court.

Angelo Chol brought incredible intensity off the bench and he is really one of the biggest assets that the Wildcats have right now. His stat line may not look great and his defense can have holes in it, but when he gets on the court, he shows that he wants to be out there. It is something that other members of the team have lacked at times during the year. Chol may be able to lead by example if he continues to get increased playing time.

Wildcat Quotable

"Mark Lyons is always so confident and he came out and hit his shots," Nick Johnson said. "In the first half, I really couldn't make a shot and Mark got me a few easy layups and dunks to get me going from there."

Sean Miller Quotable

"To be hard to score against, to defend the three-point line, to try to keep the other team off the foul line, to block shots, to play hard. We are our best team when we have that in place and tonight we had that."